Rebel
by oceansalt
Summary: Kiera looks like a normal, completely ordinary seventeen-year-old girl if you view her on the ground, in a sweatshirt. Up in the air, though, she's something much more than ordinary. She, and four others in the world, had bird DNA grafted into their human DNA as infants, and become mutants at specific times in their lives. After escaping a lab, they decide to stay together to live.


Okay, I'm going to be completely honest here. Being shackled against my will to a very cold hospital table, wearing a flimsy hospital gown that is thinner than a piece of paper, being in a large room with full white interior and sharing breathing space with many other mutants of all ages sucks. And if you're wondering, yes, I did say _other mutants._

I am one of them.

I haven't always been a mutant. I used to be a normal seventeen-year-old girl with popularity, friends, a put-together family, and the latest fashion trends hanging in my closet. Even though it feels like ages since I've seen it, it's only been two days since I last was present there.

Since last I was normal.

I was outside when the pain first happened. Seated on the roof of my two-story family home in Aspen Park, Colorado, I was enjoying the first sprinkles of rain. I loved the rain. The smell, the taste, the sound. I loved every aspect of rainfall. I had just opened my mouth to catch the tiny droplets that were just beginning to fall when my mother called me in for supper. I prepared myself to slide off of the roof-as I had done millions of times before-and as I put my foot on the ledge below the gutter, an unspeakable pain ripped through my shoulders. My grip on the roof edge loosened, and without any warning, I fell onto the hard, cold concrete of the balcony outside of my cozy bedroom, knocking the wind out of me. I moaned, pushing myself up with my hands. My damp, dishwater-colored hair fell into my face and I brushed it away with my left hand while my right helped my now-bruised body to sit upright. A familiar wet nose wedged itself under my left hand, and helped me to stand up.

"Sadie." I breathed, slowly standing on shaky legs. My German Shepherd stayed by my side, always my loyal best friend, and helped me up all the way. Sadie usually sits on my porch to wait for me as I sit upon the roof, as it would be physically impossible for me to help her to get up there, even in my high athletic state. (Being in volleyball, basketball, track and cross country helped.) She enjoyed the rain almost as much as she enjoyed my presence, which was saying something. My mother used to say that Sadie and I were both supposed to be human sisters, but God decided to make her a dog instead to be even closer to me. I believe that to be true.

With more help from Sadie, I got through the French doors of my balcony and into my room, where I shut the doors behind me. I carefully drew the curtain and changed from my damp school sweatshirt and shorts into a black t-shirt and capris. I brushed my hair as fast as was humanly possible with unexplainable muscle spasms in my back and walked upstairs to the kitchen, where my parents were sitting at the set table.

"Sorry for making you wait." I said, sliding into my seat. "I slipped off the roof and had to change my clothes." I avoided mentioning the pain in my back, as something inside warned that it might be dangerous to say.

As I scooped up macaroni-and-cheese and put it on my plate, a thought ran through my mind.

_I have never hidden anything from my parents before. Why am I doing it now? _I shrugged it off, determined to find out soon enough.

I ate as much as I could hold of the hot meal while my parents discussed work business. My father was a real estate agent, who said he'd had four open houses to show just between ten o'clock and noon, which caused him to take a nap in his office during his lunch break. My mother-who cooked professionally, had 3 cookbooks in print and was in the process of getting her own show-told a story about her meeting with a TV company that went sour. I couldn't help but laugh at her impression of the man's facial expression when she declined, and immediately stopped as the pain came back with a flurry of needle-like stabs. My parents both stopped talking to look at me with worry.

"Are you all right, Kiera?" My mother asked, reaching over and pressing her hand to my forehead. One of the drawbacks of being an only child is if you even look like you're going to be sick, your parents will always check to be sure.

I shrugged, taking a few more bites of salted peas. I waited until she took her hand down, and said:

"I think I have a stomach ache. Can I go lie down?" It wasn't that far from the truth, but the pain was on another part of my body.

"Of course, sweetheart." Dad said, taking my plate and putting it on top of his. A low rumble sounded from the outside, and my dad smiled. "That isn't an excuse to get back on the roof, is it?" I shook my head, giving them a half smile.

"I wish, Dad." Dad smiled, and nodded, patting my hand.

"Go lie down." Mother said, ruffling my hair. "If you're feeling better later, come join us in Farkle, okay?" I nodded, and stood up. Sadie jumped up from her place under the table and joined me in my bedroom. I slowly closed the door behind us and collapsed on my bed. A low moan filled the room, and it took me a few seconds to realize it had come from me. My head was pounding like someone was in it, hammering against my skull. My pulse began to race, and sweat beaded up on my brow. I lifted my hand up to wipe it away, and stopped, noticing my entire hand was shaking like a leaf, which never happened. I gulped, letting my hand drop, and sat up slowly. My back was the worst out of all the pain, like someone had shoved it in a blender and pressed 'puree', if that would even be possible. I took deep breaths, clenching and unclenching my fists as I did so, trying to distract myself from the pain. _What is the problem? _I thought to myself. _I have never hurt this much before. And in my back? I've never had any issues with it before! _I shivered, noting a cool tint to the air. Sadie saw me shiver and climbed up on my bed to snuggle next to me. I ran my fingers through her thick hair, and noticed that she was looking at me with fear in her big brown eyes. I tried my best to give her a reassuring smile, but it felt impossible. Another wave of pain erupted, and this time, it felt like a massage machine was built inside of my back and was ripping my muscles apart. I accidentally tugged on Sadie a bit too hard and she gave a yelp.

"S-sorry, girl." I panted, letting go of her fur and winding my fingers together to give even pain. Another pain found its way into the spot right above my eyes, and all I could see was spots of black and white. I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut. My pulse roared in my ears, and I curled up into a ball on my mattress, air coming in ragged gusts into my lungs. All I felt, all I knew, all I saw, all I heard, all I could remember was pain. And it sucked.

Suddenly, out of the blue, I felt a sick churning in my stomach. I jumped up, yanked open my door and sprinted as fast as my shaky legs could carry me to the bathroom across from my room. I made it just in time for my breakfast, lunch and dinner to make its reappearance into the world, and not in any calm or pleasant way, mind you.

Once I finished being sick and flushed it away, I staggered over to the sink and washed my face completely. I shut the faucet off and looked into the mirror above the sink, water and makeup dripping off of my face. I glanced away for a second, and did a double-take. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair looked like I'd just tossed and turned in bed for four hours straight, and my face was deathly pale. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair and toweling my face off.

After one last glance, I walked back into my room slowly and shut the door behind me. Sadie was still perched upon my stripy comforter, and when she saw me, her tail beat a tattoo against my bed. I couldn't even smile at her, I hurt so bad. I slowly walked over and sat down beside her, running my fingers through her fur. She looked over at me, wrinkled her brow and smelled the air.

"What's the matter, girl?" I asked, watching her nose wiggle. She sat up, and without any warning, began nudging her muzzle against my back. I almost screamed as every point she touched formed a point of searing, unimaginable pain. "S-sadie, stop! Please!" I gasped, jerking away from her touch. She growled low in her throat, a noise that scared me. Sadie never growled unless something bad was happening, and I guessed at that moment that something bad was happening to me.

Thoughts began to swirl around in my brain, amidst the flashes of pain everywhere. _I'm hurting. Sadie's freaking out, and she only does so when something bad is going on. She nudged her muzzle against my back. Dogs have a sixth sense, don't they? She knows something I don't. _I sighed, feeling like I was back in preschool, trying to put together a tough wooden puzzle. It felt nearly impossible back then, because my brain was still developing. Even now, my brain is developing. _But what is it?_

Angry, tired, in pain and scared, I stood up and took off my shirt, leaving me in my thin tank top. I shivered, but lifted my hand up and ran it down my back, starting from my neck. I waited, and kept moving down, expecting to hit skin or my shoulder blades, but what met my fingers was something I wasn't expecting. It was soft, and rounded out from my skin. I had no chance to investigate, however, because the next thing I knew was blackness.


End file.
